


Back For You

by Reyn



Series: One Direction [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Reality, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Zutara Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-14 21:39:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5759797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reyn/pseuds/Reyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Countless years ago, The Water Tribe cursed the Fire Nation with a drought that could only be broken by the annual coupling of a waterbender and reigning Fire Lord. </p><p>Zuko has taken on this task without complaint for the sake of his country, but has found that it is his own emotions that make this burden almost too much to bear.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Back For You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [beanaroony](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beanaroony/gifts).



> After going through a mild panic that I got assigned to THE beanaroony of all people, I started and discarded maybe three or so fics before settling on this one. I'm sorry it's short -- considering how it's almost a month past the deadline, I figured my only chance of not making you wait any longer was to keep it short and sweet. I hope you enjoy it!!

Zuko awoke much later than normal.  
  
He could feel the pull of the sun, but it was heavily muted. A turn of his head towards the window confirmed what his nose was already telling him – the drought was finally going to end.  
  
Ignoring the ache in his chest, Zuko sat up. He meant to immediately untangle his legs from his sheets and take his leave. To keep up the pretense that he was only in this for the sake of his country. But with each passing year, the task grew harder.  
  
Instead, he looked down to his right, to where long brown hair was spread out in a tangled mess, covering the large pillow beside him. He reached out to gently brush some of the waves aside, revealing a brown face that was relaxed with sleep.  
  
Katara would continue to rest until the dark clouds in the distance were directly overhead, relieving their heavy burden into the dry ground below. There would be much rejoicing throughout most of the nation. Many people considered her a savior – the one with the ability to bring the rain back and ensure times of famine stayed at bay.  
  
But those within the noble houses knew better. They had access to the library that contained the histories and knew; it was because of her people that the rain never fell here anymore. She didn’t come to save them, she came to ensure the curse remained strong.  
  
Zuko pulled himself back, finally moving to get out of the bed and get dressed. His council would be waiting for him, most probably irritated from lack of sleep due to waiting up all night for him to appear once his task was done. They didn’t understand how he could fall asleep in the presence of a waterbender, let alone with one in his arms.  
  
Zuko never bothered to explain himself. He held no malice towards the Water Tribe, just as he knew Katara held no grudge against the Fire Nation. They were both merely victims of their ancestor’s actions. Such a notion would go completely over the council’s heads.  
  
Casting one last glance towards the bed, Zuko allowed himself to fight with the idea of going back to her before dismissing the notion completely and left the room.  
  
+  
  
“The sun rose five hours ago, I must say this makes for a new record for you.”  
  
Zuko stared the councilman down. In the previous years, those with such snide opinions would flinch and eventually look away, but today his gaze was held.  
  
“If you truly feel like such a matter is worthy enough of wasting our time here, then perhaps you would be willing to take on this burden in my stead?”  
  
It was an empty threat, but the challenge held the desired effect. The horrified councilman’s eyes were now glued to the floor and his face was flushed with shame.  
  
“Moving on to more relevant matters, Your Majesty, the irrigation systems are all up and in place, but there are still concerns about floods happening in the valley towns.”  
  
Zuko frowned. “Should we have built more dams?”  
  
“It’s not a matter of holding the water. The ground is too dry to absorb the rush of water before it makes its way to the systems. Being…gifted with rain only once a year is still an almost heavier burden to bear than no rain at all for many of your people.”  
  
Zuko knew this. Katara had explained it to him the first time she came. Due to a slight his father had caused with the last waterbender, the Fire Nation had been left to the mercy of the unforgiving lack of elements for nearly ten years.  
  
It had barely been a month after Zuko’s coronation when Katara arrived, offering a new chance at reconciliation for the Fire Nation. But rather than bring the rain, Katara forced Zuko to take her to the highest mountain, where their first coupling brought snow.  
  
Zuko’s initial disappointment was eased away as Katara informed him that after ten years, the land would not readily accept any rain. Even the eventually melting snow may be too much at first. But at least it would replenish the dwindling river that cut through the country.  
  
Now, though, Zuko once again found himself at a loss. If five years wasn’t enough to fix things, what more could possibly be done?  
  
“I don’t understand,” he lamented. “We didn’t have these problems during my father’s reign.”  
  
“We didn’t even _have_ rain during Lord Ozai’s—”  
  
“No, he’s right. Even before the Dry Decade, we never had excessive floods to worry about.”  
  
“The last waterbender was older; she probably had more experience on how to direct the rain once she brought it. This one is too young to handle such a job.”  
  
Defeat must have shown on Zuko’s face, because suggestions were quick to be made, each one more bold than the last.  
  
“Have you thought about asking her to simply break the curse?”  
  
“Maybe she could be persuaded to visit more than once a year?”  
  
“As if we can rely on the whims of a waterbender. Look where the last one left us! We should simply keep her here!”  
  
“How?”  
  
“Imprison her! She still sleeps, correct? Lock her away before she wakes and then we will be blessed with rain whenever Lord Zuko should desire.”  
  
Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose in embarrassment. “We can’t hold Katara hostage.”  
  
“Why not? For too long we’ve endured the humiliation of watching our king being forced bend to the whims of those heathens. Why can’t we take matters into our own hands?”  
  
“Because it won’t work that way!” Zuko snapped.

The disbelieving stares forced him to edit his statement.

“You’re asking me to imprison the woman who took a chance on me once I ascended to the throne and put an end to the Dry Decade! Do you really expect her to continue gifting us with rain if I were to turn around and hold her here against her will? Agni, you might as well just ask me to marry her if you want any chance of such an asinine solution to work!”  
  
The ensuing silence had Zuko mentally reviewing his words and his eyes widened with mortification.  
  
“I meant—”  
  
“Now there’s an idea…” one general voiced far too thoughtfully.  
  
“I can’t marry her!” Zuko’s voice went high with panic.  
  
“Why not?” the general questioned. “They say the way to end wars is to unite kingdoms, and this would make the waterbender one of us – surely the Water Tribe would agree to remove the curse in a returning gesture of goodwill.”  
  
“But she’s a Water Tribe savage!” another argued. “Who knows what kind of dark magic she might evoke if she’s allowed to freely stay!”  
  
The general shrugged. “And who knows what good she could do if given the chance? She’s done nothing but try to help us so far. The irrigation systems had been her idea! If anything, perhaps it would be wisest to have faith in our Lord and his ability to make her smile.”  
  
The blood drained from Zuko’s face.  
  
His feelings had been noticed. Despite doing his best to come off as more or less indifferent to this yearly ordeal, others had seen through his façade.  
  
It took him a moment to realize his council was waiting for his final say on the matter.  
  
The defeat squeezed at his lungs. “I…I cannot ask her to stay.”  
  
+

Hidden within his outer sleeves, Zuko’s hands were trembling. If his forefathers knew, they would surely be rolling in their tombs. To have pride so weak as to fall for the waterbender! He had little doubt as to the types of punishments his father would incur if he were alive today.  
  
Even now, he couldn’t help but wonder how many on the council were now questioning his competence as their Fire Lord.  
  
But then, if there was even one nobleman who might support him under such a notion…  
  
Walking quickly through the halls, Zuko headed towards the gardens, where the plants would be unfurling their leaves to take advantage of the change in weather. It was where he knew Katara would be.  
  
“Every year, I tell you the flowers won’t bloom for the next few days.”  
  
Katara turned at the sound of his voice, and her face blossomed into a smile that left him breathless.  
  
“And every year, I tell you I’m not here for the flowers.”  
  
Something in Zuko sunk at the admission. Of course she wasn’t here to see the beauty of his home be brought back to life by their coupling. She didn’t sleep with him by choice. She didn’t come here by choice. She would never choose him if she were given the choice.  
  
“That’s a nice necklace you have,” Zuko pointed out as he came to stand beside her under the awning. “I noticed it when you first arrived. Is it new?”  
  
Katara’s eyes widened and her hand flew to her neck. Upon feeling the large disc resting against the hollow of her throat, she immediately reached back and began to fumble with the clasp.  
  
“I’m sorry, I’m so used to wearing it, I forgot to remove it before making the journey here this time!”  
  
The corner of Zuko’s lip curled up in a smirk. “Why? Would Fire Nation eyes corrupt it?”  
  
“No, it’s just…not something I figured would be appropriate to wear here.” Katara tucked the necklace away into a fold of her borrowed red robes.  
  
“Why?”  
  
She hesitated before answering. “It’s, well, it’s an engagement necklace. My people tend to promise their daughters off at an early age, and just sort of hope when the daughters are women, they’ll agree with choice their family made.”  
  
The rain grew deafening as Zuko’s mind blanked out on anything he could possibly say.  
  
Of course, he thought bleakly. She had a life outside of here. All of this was an obligation to her. And for him, it was intended to be an unwanted imposition. He was meant to be forever at her mercy so that his people could continue to survive.  
  
He had no right to even think about asking her to stay.  
  
+  
  
After Katara’s initial arrival five years ago, Zuko had stopped entertaining the daughters of various nobles within the palace.  
  
His excuse had been a weak one: he didn’t want to enter a marriage when he would be forced to commit adultery every year. The council had accepted it regardless, due to him being young and full of ideals that they knew would fade with age.  
  
Now, though, he was sending out invitations left and right, with the desperate hope that someone out there would catch both his eye and heart. He heard whispers amongst the staff that the general’s suggestion of marriage to the waterbender must have terrified him to the core to have him change his stance.  
  
If Zuko were to be honest with himself, he wasn’t sure which thought struck him deeper. The fact that he had, for however brief a moment, allowed himself the anticipation that the perfect fantasy might come to fruition, or the knowledge that Katara had someone back home waiting for her.  
  
He came to despise necklaces, unable to handle the reminder of what they represented within the Water Tribe. They kept his wounded emotions raw and fresh, causing him to even go as far as to request no female visitor wear any type of jewelry when staying at the palace.  
  
Unfortunately, this rule didn’t stop any of the women from avoiding the jewelry stalls when he took them out for a day in the markets.  
  
It was during one such ill-fated trip that something caught Zuko’s eye. It was a necklace of pearls of varying sizes connected together by several strands of small golden chains in increasing lengths. It held none of the extravagance of the other wares, all adorned with precious gems, but it still stood out to him all the same.  
  
He purchased it, not giving it much thought until his companions questioned just whom it was for.  
  
“No one…” was his answer, as he mentally kicked himself for giving in to such an impulse.  
  
+  
  
That night found Zuko in the room reserved for the waterbender during her yearly visits. Unlike the rest of the palace in its pointlessly rich reds, golds, and obsidian blacks, this room was done in marble and light blue.  
  
It was decorated with objects from the Water Tribe, brought here by various waterbenders of the past. Seashells, stones, furs, carved bones, painted wood smoothed by the sea, it all definitely held an air of savagery that the council always accused them for.  
  
But to Zuko, it spoke of Katara, and the culture that helped shape her into the caring person he had come to know. It explained why she favored the light robes and more revealing outfits over her own thick clothes when she visited. Why she was fascinated by the bold colors that existed everywhere in the Fire Nation. Why she had been so comfortable once the snow started falling after their first time and rather than shiver and cling to Zuko for warmth, she had hummed happily and simply sank against his body as he raised his own temperature.  
  
The vanity was the only piece of furniture in the room that had been provided by the Fire Nation, aside from the bed. Zuko had no idea if she ever used it. While she always arrived with beads and shells strung in her hair, they were always removed within the first few hours and never made a reappearance during her stay. She seemed to prefer not to do her hair while here, which only enhanced its wild curls, and she held no interest in makeup like all the visiting noblewomen seemed to be obsessed with.  
  
And until her previous visit, she had never worn jewelry, either.  
  
Zuko felt like a fool for buying the pearl necklace so impulsively. What had he honestly expected to gain from it? She would never accept it. She couldn’t.  
  
But that didn’t stop Zuko from looking into the oval mirror and imagining Katara sitting before him, eyes wide as he placed the chains of pearls around her neck.  
  
Clutching the necklace tightly in his fist, he whirled away from the heart aching sight and punched out, releasing a ball of fire into the center of the room. He stood panting as it dissipated harmlessly, lightly scorching the corner of a piece of driftwood hanging on the adjacent wall.  
  
Gritting his teeth, Zuko tossed the necklace towards the vanity behind him and stormed out, furious that he had allowed his weakness to get the best of him.  
  
+  
  
Katara looked just as stunningly exotic as ever when she arrived at the palace with her hair done up and weighted down with beads and in her traditional clothes of blue, lined with fur and covered in ornate embroidery.  
  
It was then that Zuko knew he would never find another person capable of stealing away his love like she had.  
  
Perhaps he should simply place his fate in someone else’s hands and demand his council to arrange a marriage for him.  
  
That night, with her hair free and her elaborate clothing traded in for a simple gown, thoughts of a future wife were the furthest thing from Zuko’s mind. Katara’s eyes were on him, and her smile was open and inviting.  
  
He found himself stopping several feet away from her, unable to close the distance and take her in his arms like he always had in the past.  
  
He didn’t want her like this, he realized. He didn’t want her when she already belonged to someone else.  
  
“Zuko?”  
  
But the necklace was gone. Left behind once more. Zuko closed his eyes and allowed his thoughts to take a turn towards madness.  
  
Now that he knew of her secret, there really was no point in her having to hide it once more. Did this mean she had renounced the engagement at some point during their year apart? Was there even a chance that she felt something more than obligation towards him? Or perhaps she simply held a view similar to his – that it was unfair to be in a relationship when your duties forced you to be disloyal.  
  
Both options left Zuko free to be selfish in this moment.  
  
He wanted her. He wanted her to anticipate their annual meetings with joy. He wanted her to only think of him the same way his thoughts were only ever plagued with her. He wanted to be the one who came her mind on nights when she was alone and craving physical pleasure. He wanted her to wish she was in his arms as much as he wished to freely hold her.  
  
He wanted her to forever remember this night, regardless of where their futures would take them.  
  
Closing the distance between them, Zuko pulled Katara close and finally allowed himself to worship her the way he had always wanted to.  
  
No longer allowing his fear to hold him back, he kissed her until her moans became whines and touched her until she writhed with a desperation he had never encountered before. And then he proceeded to bring her to peaks of pleasure, not caring about his own state of arousal, until she begged him for more than just his tongue and teasing fingers.  
  
And once he finally tumbled over the edge with her, falling for far longer than he ever had before, struggling to focus past his pounding heart and gasping breath, he didn’t know how he would be able to continue on after this.  
  
He felt, for the first time, the true weight of the burden their countries had placed on him.  
  
+  
  
The council meeting had been an oddly subdued one.  
  
Everyone seemed to be at a loss when Zuko showed up well before the sunrise, and their usual complaints had been voiced as half-hearted grumbles. When it came to the matter of once again getting Katara to stay, he shut them down with the solemn words of, “If I were cruel and selfish, I would. But that’s not the kind of man I wish to be, so please don’t ask it of me again.”  
  
No one seemed to know where to direct the meeting after that, so things were adjourned.  
  
It was the first meeting Zuko was ever able to escape from without being heckled…nearly.  
  
When he was almost out the door, a heavy hand on his shoulder stopped him. It belonged to one of the generals – the same one who had supported the idea of marriage to Katara. Despite the pained look on the general’s face, no words were said. A comforting squeeze was all that was given before he was released, left alone to decipher the meaning behind the gesture.  
  
The hour was still quite early, but the smell of rain was already heavy in the air. Without particularly meaning to, Zuko found himself under the awning entrance to the gardens, watching the first drops of rain as they were soaked away by the dormant plants.  
  
Within the hour, green leaves began to unfold.  
  
“I thought you said there was no point in being here since the flowers won’t bloom for another few days.”  
  
Zuko smiled. He never said it like that.  
  
“I don’t come out here for the flowers,” he admitted, staring up at the dark clouds.  
  
“Me either.”  
  
Zuko frowned at the reminder and finally asked the one question he had always refrained from voicing.  
  
“Then why do you come here?”  
  
Katara’s lack of an immediate answer prompted him to turn around.  
  
Her simple, “For you,” was lost on him as he felt the blood drain away from his face.  
  
“Where…where did you find that?” He stared at the strings of pearls wrapped around Katara’s neck.  
  
“I found it. It was in one of the vanity drawers in my room.” Katara’s gaze was piercing, rooting Zuko to this spot when all he wanted to do was flee.  
  
A servant must have found it and tucked it away all those months ago after he had left it to be forgotten, possibly assuming it had been something Katara had left behind.  
  
“Katara, I—”  
  
“Zuko,” Katara cut in with a step forward. “You—I’m…assuming this is from you?”  
  
When he failed to answer, she let out a sigh and dropped her gaze. “I know you know what the gift of a necklace tends to signify in my culture.”  
  
As Zuko’s face heated with shame, color rose to Katara’s own cheeks.  
  
“At least, I’m assuming you know. I mean, it’s possible you forget our conversations as soon as I leave, seeing as how you’re royalty and have hundreds of other things to worry about. In which case, I should just be thanking you for the gift and not reading this much into it—”  
  
“I remember,” Zuko interrupted softly. He could feel his arm tense in preparation to rise up and take the necklace back as Katara kindly rejected it.  
  
For a brief moment, silence reigned between them.  
  
“Then…it would be all right if I wore this home? Or…back to the Water Tribe?” Katara hesitantly asked.  
  
Zuko’s eyes went wide and he was pretty sure his heart stopped beating. “W-what?”  
  
“My answer is yes,” Katara explained. “And I have no intention of hiding it from my people.”  
  
“You. Yes?” A grin broke out on Zuko’s face. “Yes?” he echoed once more as disbelief washed over him. “You’re willing to be with me? To _marry_ me?”  
  
Katara’s teary smile matched his own in size. “Yes. But I can’t believe you – are you even allowed to ask me?”  
  
As he wrapped his arms tightly around her, Zuko recalled the tentative support he had been offered last year, and realized it was still there.  
  
“Yeah,” he answered, as he pressed a kiss into her hair. “Yeah, I am.”  
  
+  
  
For the first time in Fire Nation history, Zuko broke tradition and saw to Katara’s departure down at the docks.  
  
He had never actually been in the rain before and quickly discovered he wasn’t that big of a fan of standing in it. But for her, he would dance in it if she asked.  
  
As Katara headed towards the Water Tribe’s ship, open stares from the sailors were being directed towards the new necklace she proudly wore. She paid them no mind as she diverted her path towards the Fire Lord and stood far closer to him than standard protocol called for.  
  
“Will I need to wait a year for you to return?” he asked teasingly.  
  
Katara laughed and shook her head. “A few months, at most. I have a feeling the Tribe’s elders might try to draw things out with the excuse of proper treaties to write up, but I’ll be sure to give them a solid deadline.”  
  
Zuko leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss. Somewhere in the distance, a crash sounded as a sailor dropped whatever barrel he had been hoisting.  
  
“Then you can expect to see my ship on your shores within two months as I come to beg your elders permission to collect you.”  
  
Katara’s eyes went wide before crinkling with a bright smile. “I can hardly wait. Goodbye, Zuko.”  
  
Zuko reached out to squeeze her hand. “I’ll see you soon,” he corrected, blinking as the rain that had mysteriously disappeared during their encounter began to fall on him once again.  
  
Ignoring the insane urge to dance, Zuko was unable to hold back his smile as his subjects cheered wildly around him, rejoicing over their Lord’s newfound happiness, as well as the final end of their long plight.  
  
THE END.  


**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: avatar-reyn


End file.
